Summary
- Elden Ring is full of hidden quests, items, and lore, keeping players engaged in unraveling its secrets.
- Fans have uncovered hidden zones, bosses, and storylines, enriching the game experience beyond the surface.
- From Illusory Walls to secret talismans, the game is packed with mysteries waiting to be discovered, adding depth to gameplay.
It has been out for nearly a month now but Elden Ring is a gift that keeps on giving with all the secrets and obscure mechanics or stories that the players keep uncovering. Even now, the community isn't done yet, especially with dissecting much of the game's evasive quests and hidden items.
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Naturally, the Soulsborne game's vague lore is up next and it too has secrets of its own. At the moment, the majority of the players are still fixated on getting good, seeking maidens, or recovering from the pain of the recent nerf wave from update 1.03. So it's easy to miss some of these hidden quests, items, and lore material in Elden Ring.
Updated Feb 2, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: There are a lot of Elden Ring secrets for players to find throughout the Lands Between, but some of its secrets aren't necessarily based on hidden things in-game as much as they are theories pieced together by fans. Though a lot of Elden Ring fan theories make a lot of sense, they aren't necessarily Elden Ring secrets. This guide has been updated to replace some entries that leaned a little on the theoretical side with Elden Ring hidden secrets that you can experience in-game. This includes an Illusory Wall (or, rather, two Illusory Walls right after one another) near the Three Fingers, Gowry's secret, and a whole endgame boss ready to beat down the Tarnished way off the beaten path.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
14 The Illusory Wall Near The Three Fingers
Frenzied Flame Proscription, Leyndell
The Frenzied Flame Proscription area is found deep, deep beneath Leyndell, well past its maze of sewers and tunnels. But even after reaching this deepest depth of Leyndell, there's still a whole zone beneath you – it's just hidden behind an illusory wall.
The Deeproot Depths is accessible via other methods, but arguably the fastest way to get there is to get to the Frenzied Flame Proscription and hit the Illusory Wall on the right-hand side of the room. This opens a secret room with a chest, but there's another Illusory Wall behind that. This opens up into the Deeproot Depths, a near-endgame zone that shouldn't be trifled with lightly, b ut also the place to progress Fia's questline.
13 Gowry's Secret Talisman (And Transformation)
Gowry's Shack, Caelid
Gowry is a servant of the Goddess of Rot who introduces players to Millicent. Their two stories are intertwined for a long while, but towards its end, players have to choose to help or invade Millicent. Go back to Gowry's shack and he will be crying.
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Here, he asks you to kill Millicent, and players have to make another choice. As long as you have not assisted Millicent yet, and you kill Gowry, he will drop the Flock Canvas Talisman and his Bell Bearing, unlocking his shop back at Roundtable Hold. If you kill Millicent, though, he will reward these items.
However, the real secret is this – after being killed, Gowry's body reveals his true form: a Kindred of Rot.
12 Dragonlord Placidusax – A Hidden Boss
Farum Azula
Arguably one of the game's hardest bosses, 
Dragonlord Placidusax is the first Elden Lord, and can only be fought by bending reality itself to rewind Farum Azula to a time long past. Though he is often discussed in the Elden Ring community as one of the best secret bosses, and therefore isn't much of a secret, the way to get to him is anything but obvious.
From the Beside The Great Bridge Site of Grace in Crumbling Farum Azula, head outside to the rotunda, and look over the ledge for a lower grassy area to jump down to. Continue jumping down all the way to the rim of what once might have been a great arena. Lay down when prompted on an indentation here to transport yourself back to Dragonlord Placidusax' boss arena.
11 Two Moons In The Moonlight Altar
Liurnia of the Lakes
Upon visiting the Moonlight Altar for the first time, players will probably be awed at the spectacle as something feels special about that place. Turns out it is special because it's the only place in the Lands Between (so far) where another moon is visible.
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One of them is brighter than the other which could signify that it was Ranni's moon and that she has succeeded in her quest for the Age of Stars. The other less bright moon might have been Rennala's doing. In any case, it's a good detail to keep watch for when visiting the Moonlight Altar.
10 Gideon Ofnir's Spies
The Depths of Mt. Gelmir
Gideon Ofnir might call himself the "All-Knowing" but those who hate him deem him as merely "All-Hearing" (such as Latenna, the Albinauric woman with the medallion). This is because Gideon simply uses his vast spy network to gain his knowledge and spy on the demigods.
This is evident in the 
Eye Surcoat body armor which can be found on a corpse in Rykard's boss arena. The armor bears Gideon's insignia, meaning that he had a spy watching Rykard who was discovered and promptly eaten by the Serpent God. Also, Gideon was the one who sent Ensha to kill the players.
9 Godfrey's Hidden Dialogue
Some Trickery Required
There's apparently a datamined cut content in Elden Ring detailing that Godfrey/Hoarah Loux was supposed to have a bigger role than just an ex-Elden Lord Tarnished who's also vying for the Elden Ring (again). He even has recorded dialogue where he's supposed to act as guide to the players.
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The cut dialogue also reveals that Godfrey has a deeper relationship with the Tarnished players; the latter is supposedly part of Godfrey's army whom he took beyond the Lands Between at Marika's behest to wage war and become stronger, strong enough to fight the demigods and the Erdtree. It's shame that it was cut as it would have fleshed out Godfrey and also expanded the Tarnished player's backstory.
8 Marika & Radagon Are The Same Person
Don't Overthink It
One big secret that a lot of players will have missed while traipsing through Leyndell is a statue revealing the truth regarding Queen Marika and her consort, Elden Lord Radagon. The two are exposed to be one and the same with Radagon being a gender-bent off-shoot of Marika who somehow sprouted from her before or after their war with the giants.
What's weird about this is that Radagon went on to marry Marika and even made children with her. Their offspring were Malenia and Miquella, both of whom had debilitating afflictions of their own possibly either due to the Fire Giant's curse or because of the incestuous nature of their relationship. Seeing as the game was half-written by George R.R. Martin, that convoluted royal family plot isn't too surprising.
7 A Second Finger Maiden
Follow the Frenzied Flame
In one of the endings of the game where the players spitefully reject the Greater Will and use themselves as kindling for burning the Erdtree, Melina isn't too happy with it and dumps the players. However, they needn't be maidenless again even if they chose the Frenzied Flame and the Three Fingers path.
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Because the Frenzied Flame presents its chosen Tarnished with their own version of a Finger Maiden. That would be Hyetta who can be found near the Lake-Facing Cliffs site of grace assuming players have finished Irina's questline. That pre-requisite itself is sketchy as some players theorize that Hyetta is just Shabriri (an agent of the Three Fingers) who merely stole Irina's body and is just posing as a fake Finger Maiden. As maidenless Tarnished though, beggars can't be choosers; it's not like Melina is a legitimate Finger Maiden anyway.
6 Nepheli Might Be A Descendant Of Godfrey
A Tale of Two Louxs
Speaking of royal lineages, Godfrey also known as Hoarah Loux (his original name) was Queen Marika's first consort and the first Elden Lord. He was cast away since he became Tarnished but nevertheless proves that he's still capable of reclaiming his position. If his lineage is an indication of his strength, then another character who carries his name might have something good for her in the future.
That would be Nepheli Loux, Gideon Ofnir's adopted barbarian daughter. Nepheli doesn't seem to know her lineage since she was an orphan and it's also not clear how much she's related to Godfrey (if at all) but Gideon has always praised her strength.
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5 Godwyn's Head Under Stormveil Castle
The Blighted Demigod
Godwyn was the first to fall among the Elden royalty since he was assassinated and this led to Marika, his mother destroying the Elden Ring. But for some reason, he didn't fully die. It seems it was merely his soul that was killed and his body continued to exist and fester in the hidden places of the Lands Between.
His most notable appearance is in his rancid throne in the Deeproot Depths but those who have fallen deep below the abyssal crevices of Stormveil Castle will have noticed something horrific. Because Godwyn's deformed head and face are also there, menacingly resting like a Lovecraftian beast. How and why this happened remains a mystery.